The National Association Of Realtors Announces That The Typewriter Is State Of The Art Technology
April 25, 2008
The NAR has launched a new website called Realtor Confidential. This site is ”designed to educate our membership about technology-related topics and investigate how NAR can best use Web-based technology to communicate with members”.
In this, the first season of the Realtor Confidential series, the camera crew and production team have decided to follow 2007 NAR President Pat V. Combs, as she and her staff “implement new technologies”.
You know, people accuse us of Realtor bashing and it is just unfounded. We just bring to light the incredulity of what is fast becoming the laughing stock of trade organizations.
When you view the video below, you may think you’re watching a skit on Saturday Night Live, but unfortunately, you’re not.
From the “We can’t make this stuff up” department, comes a video featuring the 2007 NAR President Pat V. Combs wherein she describes the mainstays, the must haves in technological advancement.
Without further adieu, I give you the 2007 NAR President explaining to the world, that technology that is vital to the success of a Realtor.
There you have it. For all of us who did not know, it is the typewriter that no real estate agent can do without because you simply can not fill out forms in any other manner. Ummm…okay.
So, since this video was placed out there for the world to view, just what do you think the reviews will be like?
The former head of one of the world’s biggest trade organizations just allowed herself to be filmed telling the world that Realtors will be technologically advanced if they have a typewriter, a fax machine, a printer and a scanner…and let’s not forget about email.
My God what would she do if she heard about Twitter?
Is writing a story on this Realtor bashing? We didn’t make this video and put it on the Internet. This was supposed to “help” agents? Much to the contrary, this has got to be really, really embarrassing for a lot of Realtors.
Waiting with baited breath for the next informative episode! I am sure you are too.
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I think you missed something when you watched it. This episode was describing her environment as it is NOW before any technology update. The future episodes will center around the upgrades.
Actually, I can understand exactly what Pat is talking about. I think this is a bit of a geographical thing.
I am about as technological as REALTORS come (at least, that’s what I like to think), but there have been times when I wish I had a typewriter in the office. The area that I live and work in isn’t exactly on the cutting edge of technology, so there are times when a typewriter would come in handy, believe it or not.
All of our contracts are done on Zipforms electronically, but there are forms that our County, or a homeowners’ association, sometimes requires or requests that either have to be filled out by hand, or on a typewriter.
Just from a writing perspective, I happen to like typewriters. There is something to be said for the physical connection and tactile feedback that one gets from depressing a typewriter key and hearing the whhirrrr…ca-chunk! of a letter being put onto a piece of paper. Call me nostalgic. . . .
As far as NAR’s series goes, it will be interesting to see how it develops. I’ve had discussions with the good folks at NAR about stuff like this, and I think that, believe it or not, they want very much to do a good job and lead their members in the right direction. After talking with some of the NAR folks, I have a much greater appreciation and understanding of the challenges and obstacles they face when it comes to stuff like this.
Daniel, was this comment an extesnion of the Saturday Night Live skit script?
Are you saying that E. Virginia has a problem technologically? I don’t understand? Every form, for any transaction we do is either available online or we have personally re-created for our own use online.
I have not even owned or used a typewriter since the early 1980’s.
But if that’s how it is for you, then that’s how it is. It will be interesting speaking with you given your insider’s viewpoint as to the NAR. I look forward to it.
Can you put us in touch with Lawrence Yun…I’d LOVE to speak with him.
LOL! Wow. “GEOGRAPHICAL”?????? What’s next, is that “INTERNET” I keep hearing people talk about going to make it’s way to MY part of Virginia. Gosh I hope so!
This is just another sad example of a misguided agent trying to defend the amazingly incredible way that the NAR has brainwashed alot of its members.
ALL forms can be found online or like Barry said (CAUTION: LAZY people need not continue reading) can be personally re-created for personal use and saved onto your “hard drive” or on one of those things called a “flash drive” for portable use, or if you get advanced, maybe you can even save them to a “media card” that may be inside your phone or PDA.
Julio,
I thought I might give you a call, rather than leave a comment here, but I followed the link from your name, and your website didn’t work for me in either FireFox or Safari. It must be my Virginia internet connection.
ALL forms cannot be found online. MOST forms can be found online. Like I said, I sometimes have to use forms that aren’t found online, as much as I would like them to be. The forms that we use internally are all electronic, but I simply don’t have control over the technological aptitude of those with whom we do business.
One last question–
I’m not sure what you mean when you say I am “misguided.” Could you explain?
Barry,
As I said, I kinda LIKE typewriters sometimes. That, however, is just part of my nature. I was an English major, so I love things that other might find strange (fine writing instruments, typewriters, the smell of freshly bound books, the texture of old paper).
Oh, and as far as my area of Central VA goes, my County just activated its FIRST traffic light TWO WEEKS AGO. High-speed internet penetration in my County is no better than 30% of total households. About that same number of our clients don’t use email with any sort of regularity. The current iteration of the County website is only about 5 years old: http://www.co.fluvanna.va.us/
When I say it is geographical, I’m not being the least bit facetious (or lazy).
Hey Daniel..was not implying anything lazy..was amazed at how “un-tech” the area was. I understand the nostalgia thing though. I love the running game in football and hate to see so much passing. I guess we are purists at heart.
Barry,
My bad, I wasn’t referring the “lazy” remark to anything you said.
I love a basketball team that plays tenacious defense. But I do love a good alley-oop, too.
TOOSHAY! You called me on my site not working on Firefox. Good one, and you honestly got me there. Im not the most internet saavy person so that is why I come on sites like this……..to learn. Internet Explorer is the most common web browser, therefore that is why I focused on that. Helk, the properties on my site havent even been updated in weeks. We have more homes that have recently been renovated and will be getting placed on the site soon. A blog as well as a more user friendly site are currently in the works and you’ll be the first person i send the links to. But seriously, good one!
My statement about the contracts was that ALL forms can be found online OR be re-created for personal use. Now if you’re not lazy, then the comment shouldn’t be taken personally, but if the shoe fits……….well. Now if your PREFERANCE is to use the typewriter then by all due means, knock yourself out.
About the “misguided” statement; Many agents (not all, but many) are brainwashed by the NAR or by their local brokers as to WHAT they should do and think, instead of being taught HOW to think. A prime example is how most of the agents here in the Hampton Roads area are taught to do short sales, and how to do them INCORRECTLY. Not only that, but they are taught that short sales shouldn’t be done at all because “their commision isn’t guaranteed”. Another example is of when I actually took the principles of real estate class. My very first day in the class, the instructor (an associate broker) said, “Sellers and buyers, we count on them not knowing what to do, because if they did, then THEY WOULDNT NEED US!” (i wrote it in my notes because i was shocked) The very next night, when going over the whole agency & principle agreements, she said “YOU are NOBODY! You are NOT the agent. ABC Realty is the agent. YOU are NOBODY and have NO OPINION!” (Again, I wrote that down because I just knew the next three weeks would be highly comedic.) My point is that many agents are misguided from the jump and arent given a lesson in HOW to think about what is going on.
[…] started the show today with the latest a greatest from Barry C, a blog post titled, “The National Association Of Realtors Announces That The Typewriter Is State Of The Art Technology“. This is a topic we first talked about yesterday, but in order to grasp the sheer magnitude […]
[…] started the show today with the latest a greatest from Barry C, a blog post titled, “The National Association Of Realtors Announces That The Typewriter Is State Of The Art Technology“. This is a topic we first talked about yesterday, but in order to grasp the sheer magnitude […]
[…] started the show today with the latest and greatest from Barry C, a blog post titled, “The National Association Of Realtors Announces That The Typewriter Is State Of The Art Technology“. This is a topic we first talked about yesterday, but in order to grasp the sheer magnitude […]
Julio,
I can’t really argue with you about the “misguided” comment. Education is something that suffers greatly in the real estate industry. Pre-licensing classes in VA are pretty lame, and most continuing education isn’t much better. Fortunately I just took a class all about becoming a REALTOR instructor. I can vouch for the fact that the future of real estate education in Virginia is in good hands. In fact, VAR is really at the forefront of what is going on in the real estate profession in a lot of ways, especially when it comes to technology.
As far as being taught WHAT to think as apposed to HOW to think, that is a shortcoming of much of the American education system. If you haven’t learned that early, becoming a REALTOR certainly won’t fix it.
Always good to meet fellow Virginians in the blogosphere. . .
[…] The National Association of Realtors, the industry’s trade organization must have missed all of this information. Just recently the NAR in an attempt to bring the traditional real estate office into the technological era, completely fell flat on their face with the introduction of Realtor Confidential. […]
[…] The National Association of Realtors, the industry’s trade organization must have missed all of this information. Just recently the NAR in an attempt to bring the traditional real estate office into the technological era, completely fell flat on their face with the introduction of Realtor Confidential. […]
After 16 years as an agent, Manager, Recruiter and Trainer I have grown to have great disdain for N.A.R. as an oppressive organization. N.A.R.’s Internet real estate school isn’t fairing well, but their live classroom courses are. All over the nation State Boards of Realtors are lobbying governing state agencies to limit the number of distance education clock hours agents can take for license renewal, pre-license training in the apparent hope of driving more business back to their live classroom courses. Appallingly many states are considering N.A.R.’s lobbying to allow N.A.R. to dictate curriculum, number of clock hours required and delivery formats!!!! God help us! My company recently spearheaded an email campaign alerted Washington State licensees to an attempt to slide in an unvetted line item giving the Director of Real Estate the “…power to limit the number of distance education clock hours…” Agents and Brokers all over the state bombarded the sponsoring Senators with negative feedback and the item was pulled and returned to the floor for debate. A spokesman for the State Board of Realtors, W.A.R., subsequently was the only individual/entity to give testimony in an unpublicised, closed meeting of the D.O.L. Education Committe in which he swore that the 23+ thousand W.A.R. Realtors supported W.A.R.’s position to force Washington agents/brokers to have to take more classroom clock hours versus distance education hours, citing “…too much abuse of distance education hours…”
The membership needs to wake up or soon the typewriter will be the “state of the art” and live classroom will be the only option to obtain required continuing education and the Realtors will have forced us back into the dark ages, from which they have not yet emerged.
That video had better be part one of a series with the first part being “technology of the past which, if you don’t have at least these things, you’re still living in 1990″ and the second part being “technology of today”.
If not, then it’s pathetic that NAR (and Pat Combs) would let that video be available to the public.
An SNL episode is exactly where that video belongs.
Unfortunately everyone cannot be as informed or as inteligent as the leader in any given area of expertise. I will wait patiently for episode 2, but not for the same reasons as some of you. I have spent most of my life trying to educate, I’m not the best, but I’m constantly trying to be better. I believe that the majority of the NAR membership would like to be better, but they need information to know how to accomplish the task from a technology perspective.
One thing is for sure, the members of NAR are diverse. They come from different backgrounds, locations, and client bases. A good portion of the members of NAR are located in small communities, they work hard to do the best they can, but they may not be the sharpest with technology. Many would happily do more, but do not know how, or have the false impression that they do not have enough money to pay for the technology needed. My hope is that NAR is attempting to reach out to those without the knowledge. Trying to help from the bottom up. Obviously the video was not intended for 99% of the viewers of this site, but it could be that the video will be helpful to a lot more people than you realize.
If the video (and yes I did say “if”) intends to show new technology that Pat could be using, then the first video accomplished a very good purpose: It allowed people who are uncomfortable with technology (for whatever reason) a relaxing introduction. The point I saw…everyone is already using technology…here are a few examples of technology. I look forward to seeing what new forms of technology are to be introduced. Maybe I will learn something, if not, then I do not have to watch. I do feel there are a lot of NAR members that just need the basics, and if that is what is accomplished…I will be pleased.
A good example of the need for more technology training…myself. I cannot spell (learned to spell with phonetics), and therefore do not write many blog comments because I hate trying to figure out how to spell check. I learned today that my Google toolbar has a spell check. I just tried to use it, and when trying to correct the first misspelled word “inteligent” to “intelligent”, I accidently submitted the comment. So please lead me to training for spell check for blog comments (yes I know that I can copy into Word, but I guess I am somewhat lazy…need to better understand technology). I will attempt to spell check again before I submit this comment, obviously you will know if it worked.